Yesterday I decided at the very last moment to cook the super fresh organic peas I had shelled in the morning watching an online tutorial (the benefits of e-learning and the damnation of multitasking!). I prepared stewed green peas, which here in Genoa are also called “peas a la bourgeoisie”. In my opinion this is the best way to enjoy seasonal peas when they are so fresh, pulpy and sweet that half of them disappears in your mouth while shelling them.
When you have in your garden a lemon tree that all the yearlong looks like a blossoming mimosa, so many are the fruits that it produces, a tree so generous that even the smallest lemon …
Bitter orange tree comes from far away. It started its journey from South East Asia and seed by seed it made its way through Oman, Persia and Egypt to arrive in 1000 AC on the …
In Genoa, in the heart of the ancient harbour, it is still possible to buy from local fishermen a "zero miles" fish, just landed by fishing boats and often still alive. Every day of the week, …
Spring is the right time to buy cuttlefish, it's their season. This is clear in my mind when I enter the Genoa covered market (Mercato Orientale) almost breathless, arms already loaded with innumerable bags and a …
Why Albenga violet asparagus – a very ancient local variety - has such exclusive famous attributes and nonetheless is cultivated just by a fistful of farmers (biodiversity defenders) and risks to get endangered? To get an …
Fava beans pesto has been occupying a line in my “post to do” list since last year. It appeared on April, when this blog was just a work in progress, nothing more than a bunch …
I love wild herbs. But above all I love harvesting them. On Spring, in the lawn, at the bottom of drywalls or at the borders of the streets where they love growing. Walking in the middle …
What gonna happen in the workshop of Romanengo – the most ancient Italian confectioner and historic shop of Genoa – during Lent period when the production of the traditional “quaresimali” pastries is in full swing?This …
What to do when a huge box of fresh, flavoured, thorny artichokes– a present of your trusted farmer - stand mocking on the table of your kitchen? You watch it, you try to ignore it, …
Potatoes and green beans polpettone is a flagship dish, a symbol, of the Italian Riviera traditional cuisine: few poor ingredients, wisely measured, for a plate extremely good, healty and light. In the rest of Italy polpettone …
